Article of bedding



Sept 12, 1967 G. BILLl-:RBECK 3,340,549

I I ARTICLE OF BEDDING Filed July 7, 1965 2 Sheets-Shee A INVENTOR. @ef-l dvb@ United States Patent O 3,340,549 ARTICLE F BEDDING Gerd Billerbeck, Augustastrasse 116, Wuppertal- Elberfeld, Germany Filed July 7, 1965, Ser. No. 470,295 Claims priority, application Germany, July 7, 1964, R 38,298 Claims. (Cl. 5-335) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A textile cover comprising a at pocket `adapted to receive a pillow and having four edges, and fringes extending beyond some of the edges and being wide enough to at least overhang corresponding lateral edge faces of a mattress onto which the pocket is placed. The pocket is provided with a flap for closing the same so as to retain the ller in the pocket.

The present invention relates to an article of Ibedding. More specifically, the invention relates to a textile cover in which such items as pillows, blankets or comforters are receivable. Still more specifically, the invention relates to a textile cover of the type aforedescribed which receives items of the `above-mentioned type and serves to fasten them securely in place when said textile cover with its contents overlies a mattress.

Articles of bedding, such as pillows, blankets, comforters, featherbeds, etc., are usually disposed in covers or cases of textile material. When these articles -are so protected, the frequency of cleaning required for them is drastically reduced, since they are prevented from direct contact with the body of a person using the bed. Instead, it is only necessary to remove the cases or covers and to wash them, a task which is much simpler than washing or dry-cleaning, say, a comforter.

Usually, covers of the type mentioned are of a size just adequate to receive the respective article of bedding therein; however, it is known, particularly with cases for blankets, comforters and featherbeds, to extend the lower edge of the cover, that is the edge which is positioned at the foot-end of the bed, in such a manner that a portion thereof may be tucked under the foot-end of the mattress to secure the cover and its contents against movement in direction toward the head of the mattress. However, it is a disadvantage of this construction that it still permits the cover freedom of movement in lateral direction. Another disadvantage is that, particularly in the case of children who are not yet able to rearrange their own bedding, such a cover does not prevent lateral drafts once it has become displaced from its proper position. Also, in the case of youth-beds or with beds used in hospitals such covers are no help in preventing the occupant of the bed, e.g., a sleeping toddler, from falling out of bed.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

A more specific object of the invention is yto provide a cover of the type described which will prevent movement of the cover and its contents not only in longitudinal direction, but also in transverse direction of the bed.

A still more specific object of the present invention is to provide a cover of the above type which is formed with fringe portions which can be tucked under a mattress.

3,340,549 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 ICC Still another object of the present invention is to lprovide such a cover which is provided with fringe portions surrounding the cover on all sides, and which are so wide that they will extend substantially to the oor so as to hide not only the mattress but also the frame of the Ibed, thus permitting the cover to be used as a decorative item for the bed during the time during which the latter is not occupied.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making a cover of the type described.

In accordance with one yfeature of the present invenvvtion I provide a method of making a cover for a ller,

such as a pillow, blanket or a comforter, comprising the steps of (a) Folding a rectangular sheet of textile material in half so as to form a pair of rectangular superposed webs which are coplanar with one another and are integral along one side of the thus-formed rectangle;

(b) Securing the webs to one .another along two further sides of the rectangle to form a pocket which is open `along one side and closed along three sides; and

(c) Securing additional textile material to the pocket so as to form along at least some of the sides thereof fringes extending therebeyond and being of a width adequate at least to overlie corresponding lateral edge Ifaces of a mattress onto which the cover is placed.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be 'best understood from the following description of specific as shown in PIG. 1 and taken on the line III-Ill of this cover having a fold-over type of closure;

FIG. 5 is -a section taken along line V-V of FIG. l;

FIG. 6 is a section taken on line VI-VI of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a transverse section through a cover in accordance with the present invention and shows how the same is secured to a mattress; and

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section through a `cover in accordance with the present invention, showing how the same is secured to a mattress, this cover being usable as a decorative bed cover during the time during which the bed is not occupied.

In FIGS. l and 2 the pocket formed in the cover is indicated with reference numeral 1. Naturally, such pocket must have an open end to receive the contents. As is evident in FIG. 1, the pocket 1 is surrounded on two lateral and one transverse side by fringes 2, 3, 4 which extend beyond the pocket in the general plane thereof. Fringes 2, 3 and 4 are of la width which is at least adequate so that they Will cover the corresponding lateral edge faces of a mattress on which the cover is disposed. However, in accordance with the invention it is preferred to make the fringes 2, 3, 4 so wide that they can be tucked 3 "under such a mattress to hold the cover in place, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention the pocket 1 formed in the cover is of -such a size that when the ller, i.e., the blanket, featherbed, etc., is disposed therein, it will overhang the edges of the mattress so as to prevent cold from seeping at these edges through the thinner material of the cover.

In accordance with FIG. 2. the cover is surrounded by fringes 2, 3, .4 and in other words, all four sides of the pocket Iare provided with a fringe, the fringe at the open end of the pocket being so arranged that it does not obstruct free access to the interior of the pocket. This arrangement is particularly suitable where it is -desired to make the cover, or at least the upper web thereof, of decorative material so that the cover with the ller disposed therein can remain on the bed during such times as the bed is not occupied, and will serve as a decorative accessory.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the pocket 1 is formed from an elongated sheet of textile material which is folded back upon itself to obtain a pair of superposed coplanar webs integral along one side of the thus-formed rectangle. The two other sides of the rectangle are sewed shut along the edge portions thereof, and simultaneously the fringes 2 and 3 are sewed to these edge portions. As is evident from FIG. 3 an end portion 10 of the sheet of textile material 8 is, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, sewed onto the transverse fringe 4 in such a manner as to make a button panel formed with a plurality of button holes thereacross, through which a corresponding plurality of buttons, secured to the opposite end portion 12 of the sheet 8 and not shown in the drawing, are buttoned to close the open end of pocket 1. Of course, the arrangement can be reversed and the button holes can be provided in the end portion 12 of sheet 8, whereas the buttons can be sewn onto the fringe 4.

The embodiment of FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 differs from the embodiment of FIGS. l, 3 and 5 in that it is provided with the additional fringe 5, so that the cover may completely hide the mattress and bed frame on all sides, and in that instead of the button panel of the other embodiment the embodiment of FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 is formed with a'tuck-in type of closure. It will be seen (particularly from FIG. 4) that the end portion 10v of sheet 8 is folded inwards to a much greater extent than the corresponding end portion in FIG. 3. The lateral edges of the end portion are sewn onto the end portion 14 of sheet 8 and form therewith a tuck-in type of closure or trap 13 which, once the blanket or the like is disposed within the pocket 1, prevents the contents of the pocket 1 from sliding out. Of course it is possible to sew the fringe 4 directly to the end portion 10 of the sheet 8 and to tuck in the fringe 4, rather than the end portion 10 as is shown in FIG. 4.

As indicated in FIG. 8 it is also possible to provide this tuck-in type of closure on the exterior of the cover. This is shown in FIG. 8 in broken lines and indicated with reference numeral 13'. Since in this arrangement the pocket-forming end portion 10 will be clearly visible, it is advantageous to provide it with decorative stitches, appliques, etc., particularly if it is to be used at the head-end of the bed.

It will be understood that, instead of the tuck-in type of closure and the button-type of closure, it is also possible to close the open end of the pocket 1 by means of ribbons or the like.

One embodiment of the present invention contemplates the provision of an article of bedding which comprises both the cover and a novel ller therefor. This is shown in longitudinal section in FIG. S. The cover there is indicated by the same reference numerals as in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6. The mattress, onto which the cover is placed, is indicated with reference numeral 7 and the ller, which is disposed within the pocket 1 of the cover, is indicated with reference numeral 1. It should'be noted that in this embodiment, in which the filler may be a comforter, quilt, featherbed, or the like, I contemplate the provision of the filler material, that is the heat-insulating material within the comforter or the like, in such a manner as to form at least two zones of different density, for example a zone B of a given density and a Zone A in which the material is considerably more dense than in the vzone B. This makes it possible to place the cover with the filler therein on the bed in such a manner that the portion of th-e body of a user, for which maximum warmth is desired, will be covered by the zone of greater density of heat-insulating material. Also, the lower-density zone B will of course be lighter than zone A, thus again giving the user the possibility to arrange the bedding to his taste. It is well known that many persons can tolerate a greater weight on their feet while sleeping than on the upper part of their body. Such persons would of course place the cover with its novel ller on the bed in such a Way that the zone A overlies the foot-region of the bed.

It is to be understood that the aforedescribed embodiments are by way of illustration only, and do not limit the invention. Thus, for example, it is possible to form the fringes 2, 3, 4, 5 not by sewing separate strips of material to the pocket-forming sheet 8, but to construct the entire cover from a rst sheet of material having the over-all dimensions desired, including the width of the various strips 2, 3, 4, 5, and .to sew onto the center of this sheet of material a second smaller sheet of the exact size of the desired pocket, so that the overhanging edge portions of the rst sheet constitute the tuck-in fringes.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also nd a useful application in other types of an article of bedding differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in articles of bedding, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural chan-ges may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention tion.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention thatothers can by applying cur-rent knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features tha-t, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential char.- acteristics of the gene-ric or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to |be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A textile cover for a filler such as a pillow, a blanket or a quilted bed cover, comprising a substantially at pocket adapted to receive said ller, said pocket being formed from a single elongated strip of textile material -folded once in longitudinal direction so as to form a pair of superposed webs of material having Vfour edges and seamed along two of said four edges to form a pocket having two closed longitudinal sides, one closed transverse side and one open transverse side opposite said closed transverse side; three strips of material respectively secured to and extending along one of said closed sides of said pocket and laterally therebeyond, at least the' strips extending along said longitudinal sides having a requisite Width so as to be adapted to be tucked under a mattresswhich said cover overlies to thereby hold said cover in place; and a fourth strip of material extending along one of said pair of webs at said open side of said pocket, said fourth strip having two parallel longitudinal edges one of which is secured to said open side of said pocket and the other of which is free and being folded in the direction toward said closed transverse side along a fold line extending in longitudinal direction parallel to said edges, said strip further having a pair of lateral edges extending intermediate said paralel longitudinal edges 5 6 and being secured to the corresponding edges of said 5, A cover as dened in claim 1, wherein said strip pocket whereby said strip forms with said pocket a overlies a portion of said pocket. closure for said open end of the latter.

2. A `cover as dened in claim 1; and further com- UNITED STATES PATENTS prising decorative means provided on an outwardly 5 References Cited directed face of said fourth strip.

said envelope and a zone of lesser thickness adjacent the opposite edge of said envelope whereby, when said en- DAVID J- WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Exmne velope is received within said pocket, said zone of greater thickness may be positioned over that portion of a human FRANK B' SHERRY Exammer ybody for which greater Warmth is desired. 15 A. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

4. A cover as defined in claim 1, wherein said strip is substantially received wit-hin said pocket. 

1. A TEXTILE COVER FOR A FILLER SUCH AS A PILLOW, A BLANKET OR A QUILTED BED COVER, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT POCKET ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID FILLER, SAID POCKET BEING FORMED FROM A SINGLE ELONGATED STRIP OF TEXTILE MATERIAL FOLDED ONCE IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION SO AS TO FORM A PAIR OF SUPERPOSED WEBS OF MATERIAL HAVING FOUR EDGES AND SEAMED ALONG TWO OF SAID FOUR EDGES TO FORM A POCKET HAVING TWO CLOSED LONGITUDINAL SIDES, ONE CLOSED TRANSVERSE SIDE AND ONE OPEN TRANSVERSE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID CLOSED TRANSVERSE SIDE; THREE STRIPS OF MATERIAL RESPECTIVELY SECURED TO AND EXTENDING ALONG ONE OF SAID CLOSED SIDES OF SAID POCKET AND LATERALLY THEREBEYOND, AT LEAST THE STRIPS EXTENDING ALONG SAID LONGITUDINAL SIDES HAVING A REQUISITE WIDTH SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO BE TUCKED UNDER A MATTRESS WHICH SAID COVER OVERLIES TO THEREBY HOLD SAID COVER IN PLACE; AND A FOURTH STRIP OF MATERIAL EXTENDING ALONG ONE OF SAID PAIR OF WEBS AT SAID OPEN SIDE OF SAID POCKET, SAID FOURTH STRIP HAVING TWO PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL EDGES ONE OF WHICH IS SECURED TO SAID OPEN SIDE OF SAID POCKET AND THE OTHER OF WHICH IS FREE AND BEING FOLDED IN THE DIRECTION TOWARD SAID CLOSED TRANSVERSE SIDE ALONG A FOLD LINE EXTENDING IN LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID EDGES, SAID STRIP FURTHER HAVING A PAIR OF LATERAL EDGES EXTENDING INTERMEDIATE SAID PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL EDGES AND BEING SECURED TO THE CORRESPONDINGS EDGES OF SAID POCKET WHEREBY SAID STRIP FORMS WITH SAID POCKET A CLOSURE FOR SAID OPEN END OF THE LATTER. 